Who says Florida can’t have Fall color? There are many plants we can work into our landscape to bring traditional fall color, although sometimes in a non-tradtional way. In the next few articles, we’ll cover what Florida-Friendly trees are deciduous and bring color (not always in the fall, sometimes we have to wait a bit) and Florida-Friendly plants which bring wonderful autumn hues to our landscape.
Florida Red Maple, Acer rubrum, is one of the most traditional color changing trees we can grow in central Florida. It is a fast grower, and can grow 35-80 feet tall, and 25-35 feet wide. So make sure you have the space for this beauty to grow. It does prefer moderately moist to wet soil. If you have a low, wet area, this tree should be very happy and it’s leaves will bring you a lot more color if it’s placed in rich, organic, wet soil. It likes a sunny to partly sunny location. Because it is a fast grower, it is not particularly strong during storms, so again, make sure you have a lot of space, preferable away from structures. A variety called, ‘Florida-Flame’ has stunning red leaves after a frost. Ask a native plant nursery if they can help you locate a Florida-Red Maple,and bring Autumn magic to your landscape!